Here are a few interesting places for you to visit around Aherlow House Hotel.
Cashel
The Rock of Cashel
Cashel, Co TipperaryDistance:
15 miles/24kmsOpening Hours:
14 March - Early October
Daily 09:00
Last Guided Tour 15:45
Last admission 16:45
Average Length of Visit 1 – 1.5 hours
Mid October - Mid March
Daily 09:00
Last admission 15:45
Average Length of Visit 1 – 1.5 hours
Set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale, The Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House.
Originally the seat of the kings of Munster, according to legend St. Patrick himself came here to convert King Aenghus to Christianity. Brian Boru was crowned High King at Cashel in 978 and made it his capital.
In 1101 the site was granted to the church and Cashel swiftly rose to prominence as one of the most significant centres of ecclesiastical power in the country.
The surviving buildings are remarkable. Cormac’s Chapel, for example, contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland. Tel: 062 61437 Visit Website
Bru Boru Cultural Centre
Cashel, Co TipperaryOpening Hours:
Year round
Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm Interpretive Centre
June-Sept
Mon-Fri: 9am-11.30pm Nightly ShowsTel: 062 61122 Visit Website
Cahir
Swiss Cottage
Ardfinnan Road, Cahir, Co TipperaryOpening Hours:
15 March – 3 November 2024
Daily 10:00 – 18:00
Last Admission 17:15Admission:
Access to the interior of cottage by guided tour only and is on a first come first served basis.
Max tour capacity 10 persons
The Swiss Cottage, just outside the heritage town of Cahir, is a cottage orné – a fanciful realisation of an idealised countryside cottage used for picnics, small soirees and fishing and hunting parties and was also a peaceful retreat for those who lived in the nearby big house.
Built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall, who, we believe, managed to persuade world-famous Regency architect John Nash to design it. Originally, simply known as “The Cottage” it appears to have acquired its present name because it was thought to resemble an Alpine cottage. Tel: 046 9407005 Visit Website
Cahir Castle
Castle St, Cahir, Co TipperaryOpening Hours:
Last admissions 45min before closing time
Mid June – Mid Sept: 9.00am – 7.30pm
Mid Sept – Mid Oct: 9.30am – 5.30pm
Mid Oct – Mid Mar: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Mid Mar – Mid June: 9.30am – 5.30pm
Cahir Castle is one of Ireland’s largest and best-preserved castles. It stands proudly on a rocky island on the River Suir.
The castle was built in the thirteenth century and served as the stronghold of the powerful Butler family. So effective was its design that it was believed to be impregnable, but it finally fell to the earl of Essex in 1599 when heavy artillery was used against it for the first time. During the Irish Confederate Wars it was besieged twice more.
An excellent audio visual show now provides sightseers with a detailed appreciation of the castle’s long history. Visitors also flock to the castle because of its role as a film and TV location – it has featured in productions like Excalibur and The Tudors. Tel: 052 41011 Visit Website
Mitchelstown Cave
Burncourt, Cahir, Co TipperaryOpening Hours:
Open from 10.30am to 4pm. Admission:
Entry by bookings only.
Adult: €11.00
Child: €5.00 (up to 14 years old)
Family: 2 adults up to 2 children (up to 14 years old). €26.00
Mitchelstown Cave is one of the largest and most complex cave systems in Ireland. On the guided tour you will follow ancient passageways and visit massive caverns in which you are surrounded by indescribable dripstone formations, stalactites, stalagmites and huge calcite columns.
There are 88 steep steps into the cave and these have to be climbed again to exit. The visit consists of a walking tour of approximately 1KM Tel: 052 67246 Visit Website
Thurles
Holycross Cistercian Abbey
Holycross, Thurles, Co TipperaryOpening Hours:
Access dependent on local ceremonies
Abbey Opening Times: 09:00 – 18:00 Mon – Sat, 10:30 – 18:00 SunAdmission:
Tours of Holycross Abbey are available but must be pre-booked. Bookings can be made by contacting 086-1665869, 0504-43124 or by emailing holycrossabbeytours@gmail.com.
As a destination for pilgrims, Holy Cross Abbey, near Thurles, County Tipperary, has a rich history. Pilgrims travelled here for eight centuries to venerate the relic after which the abbey and surrounding villages are named – a piece of the True Cross of Christ’s crucifixion. Today this working parish church is a peaceful landmark and a place for quiet contemplation and historical discovery. As well as inspecting the relic of the cross, you can marvel at the building’s ornate stonework. The Sedilia is possibly the finest piece of fifteenth-century architecture in the country. The abbey also houses one of the only surviving medieval frescoes in Ireland. Tel: 0504 43241 Visit Website
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